On 11 March 2011, the fourth most powerful earthquake ever recorded struck off the coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu, triggering a series of tsunamis that hit much of the northeastern coast. The devastation was widespread, with nearly 20,000 people confirmed dead, and more than 2,500 still missing. More than a decade later, the cities and towns impacted by this natural disaster have recovered with great resilience, but the feeling of loss still reverberates for many. The Diver profiles one such Japanese man, Yasuo Takamatsu, whose wife Yuko went missing following the earthquake and who still lives in the tragedy’s immense wake. The US director Anderson Wright tells his story with care and empathy, joining Takamatsu as he makes his latest of more than 600 dives into the sea in an attempt to find her. As Takamatsu descends into the vast blue sea, he reflects on the depths of his love. With stunning cinematography and subtle craft, the film offers a poignant portrait of grief’s enduring power, as well as the strength it can inspire.
Director: Anderson Wright
Producer: Vesta Tuckute
video
Human rights and justice
Surreal, dazzling visuals form an Iranian expat’s tribute to defiance back home
10 minutes
video
Language and linguistics
Do button-pushing dogs have something new to say about language?
9 minutes
video
Values and beliefs
Why a single tree, uprooted in a typhoon, means so much to one man in Hanoi
7 minutes
video
Consciousness and altered states
‘I want me back’ – after a head injury, Nick struggles with his altered reality
7 minutes
video
Wellbeing
Children of the Rwandan genocide face a unique stigma 30 years later
20 minutes
video
War and peace
Two Ukrainian boys’ summer unfolds just miles from the frontlines
22 minutes
video
Love and friendship
Never marry a man you love too much, and other views on romance in Sierra Leone
5 minutes
video
Virtues and vices
Why Bennie tried to disappear, and what happened when he was found decades later
16 minutes
video
History of technology
Curious singles and tech sceptics – what ‘computer dating’ looked like in 1966
6 minutes